1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an automotive display device installed in a dashboard portion of an automotive vehicle.
2. Description of the Related Art
As a conventional automotive display device related to the aforesaid type of automotive display device there exists an automotive display device comprising a pop-up type display unit which is supported so as emerge from and submerge into the interior of the dashboard portion by means of a predetermined movable mechanism, and in such a display device the display unit is often adapted to pop up from the interior of the dashboard portion only when it is in use in consideration of design or protection against dust.
In addition, in this conventional automotive display device, the position of the display unit is alternatively changed over only between a popped-up state in which the front of a screen of the display unit has completely popped up on the dashboard and an accommodated state in which the display unit is accommodated in the dashboard, and therefore there has been conceived no construction in which the pop-up height of the display unit is changed in a stepped fashion. Consequently, the pop-up height of the display unit is predetermined according to the size (in particular, vertical size) of a display unit to be used and therefore it is fixed. Due to this, in the conventional pip-up type display device, the construction of a supporting unit for supporting a display unit so as to pop up is specific to the size of a display unit to be used.
With the conventional automotive display device described above, since the display unit is driven and displaced so as to emerge and/or submerge, in a case where touch switches are provided on the display unit, there may be caused a problem that an operation load which is applied to the display unit through the operation of the touch switch acts on the movable mechanism of the display unit as a load to thereby affect the operation of the movable mechanism.
In addition, with the conventional automotive display device, since the display unit is pulled downwardly so as to be accommodated in the interior of the dashboard portion, a space is required in the interior of the dashboard for accommodating the display unit therein, and this causes a problem that the installation of the display device in the dashboard portion cannot be realized unless there is much space secured in the interior of the dashboard portion of the vehicle.
Furthermore, with the conventional automotive display device, in a case where display units of different sizes are used, the constructions of supporting units for supporting the display units have to be replaced, this causing a problem that an increase in the number of components is called for.
In a case where a large-sized display unit is used which is large enough to display on its screen information on car navigation or the like, it is often the case with such a display unit that a single display unit is used to display not only information on the car navigation but also information on the operation of electric equipment such as an air conditioner and time. Since such a large display area is not usually required to display the information on the operation of the electric equipment and time, there is a demand that only a part of the display area on the screen of the display unit may be used to display such information.
In this case, only an upper portion of the display area of the screen of the display unit may be allowed to pop up on the dashboard for displaying the required information. However, with the conventional automotive display device, since the whole of the screen of the display unit is designed to pop up on an upper surface of the dashboard when the display unit is put in the popped-up state, an unnecessary portion of the screen of the display unit also pops up on the dashboard to thereby be viewed by the driver, this causing a problem that the driver is forced to be burdened visually.
The invention has been made in view of the aforesaid problems, and therefore a first object of the invention is to provide an automotive display device in which a display unit can be accommodated when not in use without making it movable.
A second object of the invention is to provide an automotive display device which can also be installed on an automotive vehicle in which there is not much space in the interior of a dashboard portion thereof.
A third object of the invention is to provide an automotive display device in which the opening width of an accommodating portion in which a display unit is installed can be set according to the size of the display unit or an area on the screen which is in use.
With a view to attaining the objects above, according to a first aspect of the invention, preferably, there is provided an automotive display device installed in a dashboard portion of an automotive vehicle, comprising; a display unit installed in an accommodating portion provided in the dashboard portion, and a closing member provided on the dashboard portion for closing and/or opening an opening in the accommodating portion.
According to a second aspect of the invention, preferably, there is provided an automotive display device as set forth in the first aspect of the invention, wherein the closing member is supported on the dashboard portion rotatably around a transverse shaft in such a manner as to close and/or open the opening in vertical directions, and wherein the automotive display device further comprises; a driving mechanism for driving the closing member to rotate based on the power of a motor to thereby open and/or close the closing member, and a control means for controlling the driving of the driving mechanism in response to an external input to thereby close and/or open the closing member and adjusting an opening width of the opening in a state in which the opening is left open.
According to a third aspect of the invention, preferably there is provided an automotive display device as set forth in the second aspect of the invention, wherein the motor of the driving mechanism is a servo motor with an encoder, and wherein the control means adjusts the opening width of the opening to a predetermined value based on a pulse output outputted from the motor as the motor revolves.
According to a fourth aspect of the invention, preferably there is provided an automotive display device as set forth in the second aspect of the invention, wherein the display unit has a function to vary a display area on a screen where display actually takes place, and wherein the control means adjusts the opening width of the opening to a vertical width of the display area of the screen of the display unit in the state in which the opening is left open.
According to a fifth aspect of the invention, preferably, there is provided an automotive display device as set forth in the second aspect of the invention, wherein the display unit comprises; a liquid crystal display panel, and a light source unit having a plurality of backlights adapted to be switched on and/or off independently of each other and provided at positions on a back of said liquid crystal display panel which correspond, respectively, to a plurality of sub-areas obtained by vertically dividing the screen of the liquid crystal display panel into a plurality of areas, and wherein the control means adjust the opening width of the opening in such a manner as to expose to the outside the respective sub-areas of the screen of the display unit in a stepped fashion in the state in which the opening is left open.
An automotive display device as set forth in Claim 2, wherein the driving mechanism comprises; a gear provided rotatably around a predetermined stationary transverse shaft located at a position of the closing member which is away from the rotating shaft of the closing member, the motor for driving the gear to rotate via a gear mechanism, a first link member adapted to rotate around said stationary transverse shaft together with the gear a second link member having first and second arm portions extending from a bend portion in two directions in such a manner as to form an L-shape when viewed from a side and pivotally connected at a distal end portion of said first arm portion thereof to a free end of said first link member, a third link member pivotally connected at one end thereof to the portion of the second link member and at the other end to the position of the closing member which is away from the rotating shaft of the closing member, a first engagement portion provided at the bend portion of the second link member or the one end of the third link member;
a second engagement portion provided at a distal end portion of the second arm portion of the second link member,
a third engagement portion provided at either the one end or the other end of the third link member such that a distance from the first engagement portion thereto becomes longer than a distance between the first and second engagement portions, and a biasing means adapted to be brought into engagement with the first, second and third engagement portions so as to bias the first, second and third engagement portions such that the first, second and third engagement portions are arranged linearly, wherein the power of the motor is transmitted to the closing member via the gear mechanism, said gear, said first link member, the second link member and said third link member, whereby the closing member is closed and/or opened.